Tiltable, sequentially operated valves for pressurized package



June 7, 1966 w. c. BEARD, JR 3,254,676

TILTABLE, SEQUENTIALLY OPERATED VALVES FOR PRESSURIZED PACKAGE Filed Nov. 15, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l I .III

INVENTOR. M052 6. 85/120,472. BY

fi/s ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,254,676 TILTABLE, SEQUENTIALLY OPERATED VALVES FOR PRESSURIZED PACKAGE Walter C. Beard, Jr., Middlebury, Conn., assignor to The Risdon Manufacturing Company, Naugatuck, C0un., a corporation of Connecticut Ffled Nov. 15, 1962, Ser. No. 237,805 1 Claim. (Cl. 137630.22)

This invention relates to valve actuators used on pressurized packages in which a fluid product is dispensed from a container under the pressure of a gaseous propellant, control of the products discharge being had by' means of a manually operable valve securedto the container. Specifically, the invention relates to an improved valve actuator for such pressurized packages that is adapted to be self-sealing, that is, having provision for automatically closing off from the atmosphere the discharge orifice in the actuator except during those periods when the package is in use.

A large number of products are now sold in pressurized packages wherein the-product, usually in liquid form, is discharged from its container under the superatmospheric pressure of a gaseous propellant within the container. Discharge of the product is effected by the manual actuation of a valve ordinarily mounted in the mouth of the container of the package. Actuation of the valve is had by the user applying pressure to a valve actuator that serves as a convenient device for operating the valve and which normally contains the discharge orifice through which the product is dispensed.

Despite the continually increasing number of products being marketed in pressurized packages, there have been,

heretofore, certain types of products which could not be 'these points are exposed to the atmosphere for long periods between successive uses of the package. Inasmuch as there is always some residue of fluid product left within these passageways after each'actuation of the valve, any product containing a nonvolatile ingredient that will dry=out in the presence of air will clog these passageways and prevent any subsequent dispensing of the product. .If the product is one that is adversely affected by prolonged exposure to the air, the residue of product.

left in the passageways will become contaminated due to its exposure to the atmosphere and will be dispensed upon the next subsequent use of the package. I

The present invention, accordingly, has for its object the development of a self-sealing actuator for aerosol valves that will seal off the discharge orifice and passageways in the actuator from the atmosphere without in any way interfering with the normal actuation of the valve or use of the package. is to accomplish the sealing off of the orifice and passageways in an automatic manner so as not to require specific action for this purpose on the part of the user.

Realization of the foregoing objectives is attained in the present invention which, briefly and in general, comprises an actuator having a main body portion that is mounted on the valve stem of the valve for the pressurized package. A discharge orifice is formed in the main body'portion as well as passages communicating the ori- Another object of the invention.

Patented June 7, 1966 fice with the valve stem so as to provide for the flow of erably plastic, and is of a deformable character so that it will, upon the application of a force by the user of the package in the normal manner to open the valve, be movable with respect to the main body portion. Normally the closure is disposed so that a sealing portion thereof closes off the discharge orifice in the main body portion from the atmosphere. In this position the closure device is in an unstressed, nondeformed condition. An opening is provided to one side of the sealing portion of the closure so that when the user pushes on the closure, the closure deforms .and brings the opening into register with the orifice and exposes it to the atmosphere. The closure is so arranged or constructed as to be actuated by a force applied in the same .direction required to actuate the valve for the package to its open or dispensing position. As a result the closure and the valve are actuated by the user by the same finger stroke. After each use of the package when the force on the closure is withdrawn, the closure ,-is automatically returned to its nondeformed, orifice-closing position because of the resiliency of the closure materiaL.

For the purpose of illustrating how the invention may be made and used, a presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings :and will be described in detail hereinafter. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may take specific forms different from the embodiments shown and described herein. The accompanying drawings, and the description to follow are, accordingly, by

. way of example only and are not intended to define or restrict the scope of the invention. The claim appended hereto, and its lawful equivalents, are relied upon for that purpose.

Of th drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a pressurized package having a valve actuator constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the pressurized package shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial, sectional view in side elevation through the package shown in FIG. 1 showing the valve and valve actuator in their nonactuated positions;

FIG. 4 is a partial, sectional view similar to FIG. 3 showing the valve and valve actuator in their actuated positions; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5 -5 in FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

A pressurized package equipped with a valve actuator made in accord with the teachings of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The pressurized package comprises a container 10 for the product, a cap 12 which seals off the mouth of the container, a valve for controlling the discharge of product therefrom (only the stem 16 of the valve being visible in FIG. 1 because of the cap) and an actuator 14 for the valve mounted on the upper end of the valve stem 16.

Container 10, which in this instance is a glass bottle but which might also be a plastic coated bottle or metal can, is filled with a product 18 that is in this instance liquid in form and a gaseous propellant occupies the head space 20 in the container above the liquid level of the product. As Will be best seen from FIGS. 3 and 4 the mouth 22 of the container is closed off by an annular gasket 24 which seats on the upper surface 26 of the lip 28 of the container and the annular flange 39 of a generally cupshaped valve body 32 that extends through and rests upon the annular gasket 24. A second, or upper, gasket 34 is disposed on the upper surface of the flange 30. This upper gasket 34 has a central opening 36 and the valve stem 16 for the valve extends downwardly into the opening. The metal cap 12 which is made of a pliable, thin gauge metal encloses the valve body 32 and the gaskets 24, 34 and is crimped under the lip 28 of the container 10 so as to compress the gaskets into sealing engagement with their associated structures.

Fluid product 18 in the container 10 is forced upwardly to an internal chamber 38 in the valve body 32 by the pressure of the gaseous propellant in the head space 20. The fluid is forced upwardly through a dip tube 40 frictionally mounted on the outer periphery of a tubular tail piece 42 depending from the cup-shaped portion of the valve body. To insure complete exhaustion of the product from the container, the dip tube 40 extends downwardly into the fluid product 18 to a point closely adjacent the bottom of the container 10. A passageway 44 as long as the valve is held open.

Opening of the valve is effected by the manual manipulation of the valve actuator 14 mounted on the end of the valve stem 16. The actuator 14 comprises a main body portion 48 and a closure 50 therefor. A socket 52 is formed in the main body portion 48 of the actuator and the upper end of the valve stem 16 is inserted therein. In the particular package shown in FIGS. 1-5 a so-called toggle type of valve is employed. This type of valve is actuated by tilting the valve stem laterally with respect to the package. Accordingly, the user of the package must apply a lateral force to the main body portion 48 of the actuator 14 each time it is desired to dispense the product from the container. The valve stem 16, because of its confinement in the socket 52 is tilted by this lateral movement of the main body portion 48 and the sealing engagement between one side of the valve stem 16 and the upper gasket 34 is broken. Fluid product can thereupon pass through the resulting clearance space 54 between the valve stem 16 and the gasket 34 into a peripheral groove 56 formed in the bottom of the valve stem. From the groove 56, the fluid product passes through openings 58, 58 in the valve stem 16 connecting the groove 56 with an internal passage 60 formed by the hollow stem.

The stem 16 is communicated with adischarge nozzle 61 provided at the upper end of the main body portion 48 of the actuator 14 by a passageway 62 that connects the nozzle 61 with a chamber 64 just above the open end of the valve stem 16. In this instance the discharge nozzle 61 comprises an apertured cylindrical insert that fits into a correspondingly formed recess 66 in the actuator. There is a slight degree of clearance behind the insert 61 so as to form a small chamber 68 that connects with the passageway, 62.

The closure 50 for the main body portion 48 of the actu-' extending arms 72, 72 that gradually flare outwardly of the main body portion 48. A strap portion 74 joins the upper ends of the side arms 72, 72 and the central section 76 thereof overlies the discharge orifice 78 in the main body portion 48'and serves as a seal therefor. Spaced openings 80, 80 are provided in the strap portion 74 of the closure 50 on opposite sides of the sealing portion 76 so as to permit the dispensing of fluid product from the discharge orifice 78 in the manner described hereinafter.

The closure device 50 is made from a suitably resilient material as, for instance, plastic, and the side arms 72, 72 are formed so as to have a narrow cross section 82 adjacent the point where the arms join the base 70. By reason of this construction, the closure may be easily deformed by a laterally directed force, such as that represented by the arrow 84, to dispose one or the other of the openings 80, 80 in register with the discharge orifice 78 (see FIG. 4). In this deformed position the inner surface 86 of the side arm 72 to which the force 84 is applied will contact the main body portion 48 of the actuator 14 and continued application of the force will, accordingly, result in lateral movement of the actuator 48 and tilting of the valve stem 16 into its open position. Fluid product 18 will then flow through the groove 56, the openings 58, 58, the passageways 60, 62 and 68 and on out the discharge orifice 78 and the opening 80 in the closure 50.

As long as the force 84 is maintained on the closure 59 and the main body portion 48 by the user of the package the fluid product 18 in the container will be dispensed. When the user withdraws the lateral pressure on the actuator 14 the main body portion 48 moves latorally to its normal upright position thereby reestablishing sealing engagement all around the lower end of the valve stem 16 with the gasket 34. This closes oil the groove 56 and the openings 58, 58 from the internal chamber 38 in the valve body 32 and stops the flow of fluid product. At the same time the closure device 50, because of its resiliency, moves laterally with respect to the main body portion 48 on the withdrawal of the actuating force to relieve its deformation. brings the sealing section 76 of the strap portion 74 into sealing engagement with the discharge orifice 78 to close otf the orifice from the atmosphere.

For best results in the use of the package the actuating force should be applied to the actuator in the plane of the side arms 72, 72. However, provision is made to assure proper alignment of the closure device 50 even though the actuating force may be applied thereto in some other direction. A pair of raised ridges or elongated nibs 88, 88 are formed in the underneath side 90 of the strap portion 74 of the closure device and are spaced so as to lie on opposite sides of the discharge nozzle 78. The nibs 88, 88 engage the convex outer surface of the insert 61 to keep the strap 74 from slipping sideward off the discharge orifice 78 should the user press on the closure in an incorrect direction.

What is claimed is:

In a toggle action aerosol valve for a pressurized package having a product confined within a container under the pressure of a gaseous propellant, the combination of:

(A) a tiltable, hollow valve stem normally disposed in an upright position and operative to open said valve whenever said stem is tilted laterally from said upright position, and

(B) a valve actuator mounted on the valve stem, said actuator comprising,

(1) a main body portion having a socket to receive said hollow valve stem and having a discharge orifice in communication with the upper end of said hollow valve stem, and

(2) a resilient, deformable closure device for the main body portion, said closure device comprising,

(a) a base adjacent the lower end of said main body portion, and

(b) a pair of bendable arms extending upwardly from opposite sides of said base and laterally of said main body portion, the ends of the arms being joined by a sealing portion that overlies the discharge orifice inthe main body portion to close This movement again 5 oil the orifice from the atmosphere and having a pair of openings formed therein disposed on opposite sides of said orifice, whereby, upon the application of a lateral force to either of said arms, one of said openings may be brought into register with the discharge orifice and said arm into engagement with the main body portion to move said main body portion and the valve stem laterally to open the valve, whereupon the product may be dispensed from the container through the discharge orifice, the resiliency of said arm serving to return the arm to its normal, orifice-closing position upon the withdrawal of the lateral force thereon.

6 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,620,098 12/ 1952 Kinley 222-511 2,695,737 11/1954 Schlicksupp 251354 X 2,838,213 6/1958 Kinley 222511 X 2,932,432 4/1960 Beard 222-394 FOREIGN PATENTS 763,570 12/1950 Great Britain. 559,426 3/ 1957 Italy.

ISADOR WEIL, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM F. ODEA, Examiner.

I. G. ONEILL, Assistant Examiner. 

